The Bastrop County Times (Smithville, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 27, 1975 Page: 3 of 27
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THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 27 1975
THE BASTROP COUNTY TIMES, SMITHVILLE, TEXAS 78957
Local Woman To Celebrate 100th Year Sunday
By P R Smith
SMITHVILLE • "Happy
Birthday, Aunt Cannie!"
Hopefully, thousands will
guther Sunday afternoon at
2:30 p.m. to wish C'annie
Williams well on her one
hundredth birthday. Every-
one within reach of this
invitation is welcome to come
to the Smithville Neighbor-
hood Center at Fifth and
Prima Streets to help "Aunt
C'annie" ce|f,brate the one
hundredth anniversary of
her birth. Refreshments
will be served.
C'annie was born the
second eldest of the seven
children of John and Snow
Taylor on November 30,
1875. At the time, and dur-
ing most of her childhood,
the family rented and work-
ed Prim's farm near Kirtley.
They raised cotton, corn and
potatoes, with the children
working in the fields when-
ever they were not receiving
their schooling. C'annie,
who reads and writes
fluently, attended school
through the fifth grade
Cannie doesn't remember
the date of her marriage
to Sieve Banton, or her age
at the time of the marriage.
"1 was very young." she
says. Three children were
born of the union, two boys
and a girl. The daughter,
Rebecca Martin, now lives in
a separate home behind her
mother's house here in
Smilhville. Although
Rebecca was Cannie's and
Steve's first born, she is the
only surviving child.
In ll)19, Steve and Cannie
bought the house in Smith-
ville which is still Cannie's
home at 400 Hill Street.
Steve went to work for the
Railroad in the shop and as a
section hand. Cannie worked
at homes in town as a
domestic. Among the homes
she served were those of Mr.
and Mrs. George Woodress
(parents of Smithville's
former Mayor) and Jim
Kennedy, former section
boss of the MKT.
In 1925, Steve Banton
died. Since the children were
grown. Aunt Cannie continu-
ed to work as a domestic
to support herself until she
remarried. Her second hus-
band was Reverend Johnnv
Williams, a Baptist minister.
The two worked for the
church until Reverend
Williams' death in 196).
C'annie still attends church
whenever someone is avail-
able to take her, as she needs
help climbing the church
*
CENTENARIAN HANDS
Times Ptwtc
IdHK
steps.
Cannie Williams is in re-
markable physical and
mental condition for her
advanced years. She utilizes
a cane for walking, but is not
completely dependent on it.
She wears glasses and reads
fluently. She also writes her
own letters to friends and
family and dials the
telephone by herself--even
those complicated long dis-
tance combinations.
Her hearing is impaired to
the degree that one must
speak sharply and distinctly,
but one would not refer to
her as deaf. She counts her
money and figures her own
budget. Until this spring,
when she was assigned a
homeworker who comes in
five days a week, she did all
of her own housework and
cooking. She lives alone in
the house she and Steve
Banton bought nearly sixty
years ago.
Highlight of Cannie's life
now, in the twilight of her
years, is the visitations of her
grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. In all, the
matriarch has thirteen
grandchildren and eleven
great-grandchildren.
Those who wish to honor
this woman who has spent
one hundred years in Bas-
trop County are invited to at-
tend her birthday party Sun-
day afternoon. Friends and
relatives request that visitors
do not bring gifts. However,
if some really desire to show
their respect for Aunt Cannie
in a material way, these
friends and relatives suggest
that a gift of one pennv or
more for each of her anniver-
saries might be an appropri-
ate offering for one celebrat-
ing her centennial birthday.
Happy one hundredth
birthday. Aunt Cannie.
■ *<*. I
V; %
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yft r^mLJsr u* i.f
Ntf
AWAITING THE BIG DAY I
Time? "bote
Cannie Williams soaks up the sunshine in the front yard of her home at 400 Mills Street i <ids
will honor Cannie on her 100th birthday Sunday
Austin Citizen To Go 5 Days-A-Week
HOME PLACE
•Aunt Cannie" stands on the porch of her home She and her fust husband, Steve Banton, bought the house in 1919
Times Photo
AUSTIN - Management ot
The Austin Citizen announc-
ed plans Friday for publish-
ing a five-dav-a-week after
noon newspaper beginning
in the spring of 1976.
The announcement was
made at a press conference
in the Headliners Club by
John F. Warren, chairman of
the board of Austin Publish-
ing Company, The Citizen's
parent firm, and Russell
Fish, company president.
Warren and Fish said or-
ders have been placed for
new presses and typesetting
equipment for delivery in
March.
While start of the new
ff*-
i
h
• *
FIRST BORN
r • -r -• *• ^
"j tmws rooto
The following appeared in the Beautiflyer as a tribute to the Smithville Bicentennial program
im/'/AwZ/e QBeav/fe/w/xZ 6oy/w//&mw
Utnttrr <>/ //if
(/<r//c// {A< w/c/i/uxiZ«- (uxi/v
Smithville, population: .000, is busting with Bicentennial activity
For more th.in a year fla^-lineil avenues have dressed up the downtown, due to
cooperation of the local newspaper ,md high school youth groups who solicited
flag sales doorto-door to merchants. Flag decals, donated by the local \ I ^
aw) American Legion Post, have also hcen sold and distributed to ail cars
registered in the Smiths ille area
Perhaps the major project ha- been the complete installation of the city s new
storm drainage system, made possible through .i federal grant
The Bicentennial's educational impact has not been overlooked \nc.uivinely
poputv event dining the 1974-7$ school vear was From Sea to Shining Sva.
weekly cable television shows produced by the history department ot an ele-
mentary school. The children made the props themselves, sang in choirs, acted
out the scripts and gave artistic talents tor each ot the hour-long episodes
depicting the nation's histor\
To preserve its heritage, plans call toi the hiring ot a professional to come
into the community ami interview its longtime citizens about Smithville s early
days These recordings will be housed in the public library, which last year added
a special section on Texas history.
Incorporating the three themes of the Bicentennial, "heritage.'' "horizons
and "festival," is the Annual Smithville Jamboree Also, the pilgrimage ot
old homes and landmarks, and the annual antique show
The Smithville Garden Club, with the assistance of Texas Highway Depart
ment, purchased, beautified and landscaped the acreage at the main highway
entrance into the city.
Numerous organizations involving nearly everyone in the community have
joined to beautify and make improvements to Smiths ille New paiks, swimming
pool, tennis courts and a ball park have all been completed and dedicated to
the "Spirit of '76."
t annic Williams chats with her daughter and only remaining child,
Rebecca Martin, who is 82 years old
publication schedule in April
is the goal, they said, no def-
inite startup date has been
fixed.
The Citizen, now three
times a week, has followed
an editorial policy of heavy-
emphasis on local new s plus
reporting of community
events which fall outside the
"hard news" category.
Wniie state, national and
international news from a
wire service will be added
with conversion to "daily"
pub'ication. the old policy of
License Addresses
Should Be Checked
paying close attention to
events in the Austin area will
be continued. Warren and
Fish said.
A major change, however,
will be method of circulation.
Now relying on mail deliv-
ery, The Citizen will change
to distribution by carrier with
advent of five-dav-a-week
publication.
For the past three years
The Austin Citizen has been
printed at the Tex-Print
Corp. facilities in Smithville.
AUSTIN - Captain D. 0.
Wilkerson, Drivers License
Supervisor of the Texas De-
partment of Public Safety in
Waco announced today that
Texas drivers should check
the addresses on their
drivers license.
Texas law requires holding
a Texas Drivers License to
make a change of address
within ten (10) days after ad-
dress change
The proper way to change
an address on a drivers
license Is to have a new
license made with a new
picture The fee is 31 00
The Captain pointed out that
in many cases motorists are
injured or become seriously
ill while away from their
families and the address on
the drivers license is the ad-
dress used by police and
medical people to locate their
families as soon as possible.
In many cases, however, con-
siderable amount of time is
used because of incorrect ad-
dress on the individual's driv-
ers license.
Community Meeting Slated
SMITHVILLE - There will
be a community meeting
held Tuesday, December 1
at 6.30 p.m.. at tin* Smith
villi* Community Neighbor-
hood Center, loeated at 5th
and Prima. This meeting is
sponsored by the Combined
Community Action Agency.
Ttye purpose is to better
acquaint community mem-
bers with the functions and
workings of social services
which may concern them or
which they may be eligible
for. The topics of discussion
include procedures and
eligibility standard^ for
AFDC (Aid to Families with
Dependent Children),
Fixni Stamps and SS!
(Supplemental Social
Security income). I here will
also be representatives from
the Combined Community
Action Agency to answer
any questions concerning
its programs such as Family
Planning, Health Services.
Drug Prevention, Head
Start, Home Improvements
and Winterization. If trans-
portation is needed, call
237-2472. Everyone is in-
vited. and the meeting will
Inst as long as there are
questions.
RAY'S CAFE
will be open Thanksgiving Day
Turkey, Dressing, Fried Chicken
and all the Trimmings
Open 10:00 a m. to 10 00 p.m
We the Bam Door
Restaurant wish you
and your family a
Ijanljsgiuing
filled with Christian love.
The Barn Door Staff
#
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Shapley, Tom. The Bastrop County Times (Smithville, Tex.), Vol. 84, No. 48, Ed. 1 Thursday, November 27, 1975, newspaper, November 27, 1975; Smithville, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth290811/m1/3/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bastrop Public Library.